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The Third Ghost Story MEGAPACK®
The Third Ghost Story MEGAPACK® selects 26 more choice hauntings for your reading pleasure. Included this time THE DEAD AND THE COUNTESS, by Gertrude Atherton
THE CEDAR CLOSET, by Lafcadio Hearn
THE WRAITH OF BARNJUM, by F. Anstey
THE JOLLY CORNER, by Henry James
THE ROLL-CALL OF THE REEF, by A. T. Quiller-Couch
THE BOWMEN, by Arthur Machen
OMAN, By Leopold Kompert
THE MIDDLE TOE OF THE RIGHT FOOT, by Ambrose Bierce
THE TOLL-HOUSE, by W.W. Jacobs
THE HAUNTED COVE, by Sir George Douglas
THE GHOST OF LORD CLARENCEUX, by Arnold Bennett
THE HAUNTED AUTOMATON, by W. C. Morrow
THE GHOSTS AT GRANTLEY, by Leonard Kip
THE SPECTRE COOK OF BANGLETOP, by John Kendrick Bangs
THE SUPERSTITIOUS MAN’S STORY, by Thomas Hardy
THE SPECTRE BRIDEGROOM, by William Hunt
THE SPECTRE IN THE CART, by Thomas Nelson Page
THE TALE OF THE PORCELAIN-GOD, by Lafcadio Hearn
THE BELL IN THE FOG, by Gertrude Atherton
THE HAUNTING OF WHITE GATES, by G. M. Robins
THE SHADOW ON THE BLIND, by Mrs. Alfred (Louisa) Baldwin
NO. 5 BRANCH THE ENGINEER, by Amelia Ann Blanford Edwards
THE SHADOW IN THE CORNER, by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
THE SECRET CHAMBER, by Margaret Oliphant
THE UPPER BERTH, by F. Marion Crawford
THE CEDAR CLOSET, by Lafcadio Hearn
THE WRAITH OF BARNJUM, by F. Anstey
THE JOLLY CORNER, by Henry James
THE ROLL-CALL OF THE REEF, by A. T. Quiller-Couch
THE BOWMEN, by Arthur Machen
OMAN, By Leopold Kompert
THE MIDDLE TOE OF THE RIGHT FOOT, by Ambrose Bierce
THE TOLL-HOUSE, by W.W. Jacobs
THE HAUNTED COVE, by Sir George Douglas
THE GHOST OF LORD CLARENCEUX, by Arnold Bennett
THE HAUNTED AUTOMATON, by W. C. Morrow
THE GHOSTS AT GRANTLEY, by Leonard Kip
THE SPECTRE COOK OF BANGLETOP, by John Kendrick Bangs
THE SUPERSTITIOUS MAN’S STORY, by Thomas Hardy
THE SPECTRE BRIDEGROOM, by William Hunt
THE SPECTRE IN THE CART, by Thomas Nelson Page
THE TALE OF THE PORCELAIN-GOD, by Lafcadio Hearn
THE BELL IN THE FOG, by Gertrude Atherton
THE HAUNTING OF WHITE GATES, by G. M. Robins
THE SHADOW ON THE BLIND, by Mrs. Alfred (Louisa) Baldwin
NO. 5 BRANCH THE ENGINEER, by Amelia Ann Blanford Edwards
THE SHADOW IN THE CORNER, by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
THE SECRET CHAMBER, by Margaret Oliphant
THE UPPER BERTH, by F. Marion Crawford
292 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2013
18 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Gertrude Atherton
202 books50 followersGertrude Franklin Horn Atherton (October 30, 1857 – June 14, 1948) was a prominent and prolific American author. Many of her novels are set in her home state of California. Her bestseller Black Oxen (1923) was made into a silent movie of the same name. In addition to novels, she wrote short stories, essays, and articles for magazines and newspapers on such issues as feminism, politics, and war. She was strong-willed, independent-minded, and sometimes controversial.
She wrote using the pen names Asmodeus and Frank Lin, a play on her middle name.
She wrote using the pen names Asmodeus and Frank Lin, a play on her middle name.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 11, 2020
Ghostly Collection
Another amazing collection of stories from an era when storytelling was at it"s peak (and you didn't have sex and swearing every 5 minutes!).
A few I have already read in paperbacks I own from the 60s to 80s, but still well worth reading again.
If you like to read 'old school' horror and ghost stories then this is certainly for you. (The first 2 collections of ghost stories were just as much fun to read.)
Another amazing collection of stories from an era when storytelling was at it"s peak (and you didn't have sex and swearing every 5 minutes!).
A few I have already read in paperbacks I own from the 60s to 80s, but still well worth reading again.
If you like to read 'old school' horror and ghost stories then this is certainly for you. (The first 2 collections of ghost stories were just as much fun to read.)
October 25, 2015
I read this as part of my Halloween Challenge. As usual, Wildside Press does a good job of rounding up some interesting stories from the 19th to early 20th centuries. Some stories of note:
"The Cedar Closet" by Lafcadio Hearn - You can always count on Hearn for a good, scary story, though this is the first one I've read by him that didn't have an Asian setting. A young woman spends the night before her wedding in a particular bedroom for the first time, and has a close encounter with two ghosts tied to a tragedy that occurred centuries earlier. Unlike a lot of other ghost story authors of his time (such as William Harrison Ainsworth), Hearn doesn't pile on heavy, wordy language and melodramatic situations. He includes just what is necessary for the story.
"The Jolly Corner" by Henry James - James's best-known ghost story after "The Turn of the Screw" (which I didn't like). "The Jolly Corner" is Spencer Brydon's nickname for his old family house. Brydon returns home after 33 years in Europe to inspect his properties, which include two buildings, including his boyhood home. He begins to realize how different his life could have been if he had stayed in New York. He also begins to believe that his alter ego - the ghost of who he may have been - is haunting his home. Like "The Turn of the Screw," you can interpret the story in different ways - is there a ghost or isn't there? This story is considered his best ghost story after "The Turn of the Screw." (Note: There was a TV movie of this story made in 1975 with Fritz Weaver (father of Sigourney) and Salome Jens.)
"The Middle Toe of the Right Foot" by Ambrose Bierce - Bierce is a master of the short story. Like Poe, he can pack quite a bit into one story. This story starts off as a "duel in the dark" between two men. The men and their seconds will be having a duel with Bowie knives in the dark in a haunted house - but things don't work out quite the way they expected.
"The Toll-House" by W W Jacobs - Another bet between men about staying in a haunted house with the results you'd expect. I don't mean that in a negative way. Jacobs does a very good job of portraying the haunted house and the men dealing with their fears.
"The Spectre Bridegroom" By William Hunt - A nice, old-fashioned ghost story with the feeling of a legend or folktale about it. Very atmospheric and creepy.
"The Bell in the Fog" by Gertrude Atherton - This is one of those stories you're not sure if it's a ghost or not. Ralph Orth is an Anglo-American author who reminds me of Henry James. He falls in love with England and eventually buys a stately old English home. Lonely and without close relations, he quickly becomes obsessed with the portraits of two children, who come to life due to his vivid imagination - or is it his imagination? At least one of the children seems to be very real.
"The Shadow on the Blind" by Louisa Baldwin - An old man makes a habit of buying houses and restoring them. Restless, he never stays in the finished home too long before moving on to the next one. He finally makes the mistake of buying a haunted house.
"The Upper Berth" by F Marion Crawford - Crawford is a largely forgotten author now, but he was very popular in his day (late 19th-early 20th centuries). A nephew of Julia Ward Howe, he wrote many novels based in Italy, but also wrote horror and fantasy. "The Upper Berth" is one of his best known tales. A man, Brisbane, spends a harrowing trip in the aforesaid berth on the ship, Kamtschatka, and finds that he is not alone. There is some thing in there with him. Very creepy. I also recommend "For the Blood is the Life," "The Screaming Skull," and "The Dead Smile."
There was one story that I had a real problem with - "The Spectre in the Cart" by Thomas Nelson Page. To be blunt, it's a pretty racist story. I wish Wildside Press wouldn't include stories like this. Overall, though, the collection is good.
"The Cedar Closet" by Lafcadio Hearn - You can always count on Hearn for a good, scary story, though this is the first one I've read by him that didn't have an Asian setting. A young woman spends the night before her wedding in a particular bedroom for the first time, and has a close encounter with two ghosts tied to a tragedy that occurred centuries earlier. Unlike a lot of other ghost story authors of his time (such as William Harrison Ainsworth), Hearn doesn't pile on heavy, wordy language and melodramatic situations. He includes just what is necessary for the story.
"The Jolly Corner" by Henry James - James's best-known ghost story after "The Turn of the Screw" (which I didn't like). "The Jolly Corner" is Spencer Brydon's nickname for his old family house. Brydon returns home after 33 years in Europe to inspect his properties, which include two buildings, including his boyhood home. He begins to realize how different his life could have been if he had stayed in New York. He also begins to believe that his alter ego - the ghost of who he may have been - is haunting his home. Like "The Turn of the Screw," you can interpret the story in different ways - is there a ghost or isn't there? This story is considered his best ghost story after "The Turn of the Screw." (Note: There was a TV movie of this story made in 1975 with Fritz Weaver (father of Sigourney) and Salome Jens.)
"The Middle Toe of the Right Foot" by Ambrose Bierce - Bierce is a master of the short story. Like Poe, he can pack quite a bit into one story. This story starts off as a "duel in the dark" between two men. The men and their seconds will be having a duel with Bowie knives in the dark in a haunted house - but things don't work out quite the way they expected.
"The Toll-House" by W W Jacobs - Another bet between men about staying in a haunted house with the results you'd expect. I don't mean that in a negative way. Jacobs does a very good job of portraying the haunted house and the men dealing with their fears.
"The Spectre Bridegroom" By William Hunt - A nice, old-fashioned ghost story with the feeling of a legend or folktale about it. Very atmospheric and creepy.
"The Bell in the Fog" by Gertrude Atherton - This is one of those stories you're not sure if it's a ghost or not. Ralph Orth is an Anglo-American author who reminds me of Henry James. He falls in love with England and eventually buys a stately old English home. Lonely and without close relations, he quickly becomes obsessed with the portraits of two children, who come to life due to his vivid imagination - or is it his imagination? At least one of the children seems to be very real.
"The Shadow on the Blind" by Louisa Baldwin - An old man makes a habit of buying houses and restoring them. Restless, he never stays in the finished home too long before moving on to the next one. He finally makes the mistake of buying a haunted house.
"The Upper Berth" by F Marion Crawford - Crawford is a largely forgotten author now, but he was very popular in his day (late 19th-early 20th centuries). A nephew of Julia Ward Howe, he wrote many novels based in Italy, but also wrote horror and fantasy. "The Upper Berth" is one of his best known tales. A man, Brisbane, spends a harrowing trip in the aforesaid berth on the ship, Kamtschatka, and finds that he is not alone. There is some thing in there with him. Very creepy. I also recommend "For the Blood is the Life," "The Screaming Skull," and "The Dead Smile."
There was one story that I had a real problem with - "The Spectre in the Cart" by Thomas Nelson Page. To be blunt, it's a pretty racist story. I wish Wildside Press wouldn't include stories like this. Overall, though, the collection is good.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews